Our profile feature takes a look at some of the global professionals working across performance marketing, shedding light on the varying roles and companies across the flourishing industry. This week we head to London, to meet Greg Carroll.

Name: 

Greg Carroll.

Job title and company:

UK country manager, StickyADS.tv.

In one sentence, how would you describe what the company does?

StickyADS.tv is a leading European private exchange software provider, empowering leading publishers and TV broadcasters to maximise the value of their video assets and embrace programmatic video in a totally safe, controlled and transparent setting. 

What are the company’s unique selling points? 

Our next-generation publisher-controlled software is creating a stir within the industry. It enables disintermediation by allowing our publishers to build and execute their own private exchange and monetise their video content directly with their clients. So the main benefit for publishers is simple – increase revenues by reducing wastage and broadening competition for their inventory. 

Within the last six months/year, what stands out as the company’s major milestones? 

StickyADS.tv has witnessed record growth. Over the last year, our platform has grown significantly – it’s now deployed across 80 private exchanges by more than 4,500 websites in 150 countries. We opened offices in Europe with further expansion planned for this year, and our headcount has also more than doubled.

As well as making in-roads in the UK market, this year we turned programmatic TV into reality by enabling TV broadcasters the ability to monetise IPTV inventory in real-time. In the last six months, we have launched our ‘Programmatic One-to-One’ roadshow, bringing together publishers and buyers for business discussions.

Duration in current role: 

I have spent four months as StickyADS.tv’s UK country manager. Previous to this, my role was head of publisher development, UK at StickyADS.tv.

Where are you based? 

I’m based in London. We moved a couple of months ago to our brand new office in Euston Road in Central London – I really enjoy my everyday view from our 32nd floor.

Previous performance marketing-related companies you have worked at:

Before joining StickyADS.tv, I worked as the business development director and head of publisher development at Powerlinks Media. Before that, I worked with Meltwater Group, overseeing various sales divisions across the UK and South Africa. So all in all, I have around nine years’ global experience in the ad tech industry.

What are your main job responsibilities?

My key responsibility is to provide premium publishers and TV broadcasters with the best in class software so they can keep full control over their monetisation strategy, and to promote their inventory to buyers.

Take us through what you get up to on a typical working Monday:

Monday begins with a call to the country managers and general manager to update everyone on market news, followed by an internal briefing outlining our strategy for the coming week. After that, every day is different! 

Last Monday, I met with two large newspaper groups and an international broadcaster. At the moment, our major aim is to educate publishers on what can be achieved by using a private exchange. Video inventory is so valuable we cannot afford to mess about. The industry is littered with guaranteed programmatic spend and it is strangling the publishers’ ability to introduce real competition for inventory and drive up eCPMs. Plus, latency is rife due to copying a ‘display style’ waterfall setup.

What top three websites can you be found browsing during your lunch hour?

ExchangeWire and The Daily Mash are usually the main culprits, as well as SFX – our site analytics and engagement platform – so I can keep a close eye on our performance, and that of our publishers.

What are your top three tips for someone looking to get their hands on a job like yours?

  • Live and breathe what you do, whatever that may be. In my case, it’s programmatic advertising. It is nowhere near as complex as some people would have you believe and it is growing at a phenomenal pace. 
  • Surround yourself with the best people – that way you never stop learning.  
  • Think big, act small. Strategic vision is always important but nothing gets done without the detail being taken care of.

Career-wise, where do you see yourself in three years’ time?

I’ve spent a long time now helping to build ad tech companies doing really exciting things in programmatic. As long as I am still doing that I’ll be happy.

Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?

The team knows far too much about me already! Although I don’t think many of them know that I have trekked around Mongolia.